Guys NO
by widdlewed
Summary: "So let me get this straight. You died, somehow got transferred to the past, and, despite everything you've told me - including that you were a hitman trained by THE Reborn, you decide that the most important detail, the one thing that you think means the most for me to know, is that - and I'm quoting your words - you are…'Hella fucking gay for Sawada Tsunayoshi'." SEQUEL UP!
1. Takeshi NO

He remembered his stomach hurting from the gapping hole right where his belly button should have been. He remembered Tsuna screaming his name and rushing at him. He remembered the bullet tearing through Tsuna's forehead as his vision darkened.

He remembered dying.

Takeshi opened his eyes to his ceiling. His childhood home ceiling, to be exact. He knew it was his ceiling because a poster of his favorite baseball player was staring right back at him from the nails holding it to the ceiling.

He raised his hands, staring at his slim fingers. Slightly callused but not as rough from the multiple years of swordsmanship.

He sat up, blinking at his scenery. His school book was thrown against the wall, the books spilling out. He squinted.

Oh hey, that was his fourth grade math book.

Shiiiiiiiit.

"Takeshi?" Tsuyoshi's voice sounded from the other side of Takeshi's closed bedroom door. "Are you up?" His bedroom door opened and Tsuyoshi stood there.

Tsuyoshi stared at his son, his heart stopping for a second. His son, staring back at him with shock and surprise and-was that regret? His eyes were guarded, despite the clear emotions going through them, and his demeanor was stiff, ready to fight or flight with any given second.

"Dad," Takeshi breathed out, expression serious . "I'm from the future."

You could hear Hibari's piano theme playing down the block from how silent it was in the room.

Tsuyoshi felt the impulse to bust out the liqour.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You died, somehow got transferred to the past, and, despite everything you've told me - including that you were a hitman trained by THE Reborn, you decide that the most important detail, the one thing that you think means the most for me to know, is that - and I'm quoting your words - you are…'Hella fucking gay for Sawada Tsunayoshi'. Not that you work with Vongola, not that you have killed people, not that you are mentally forty years old, _but the fact that you seem to have a crush on that Sawada boy._ Takeshi. What the actual fuck." Not for the first time, he questioned his son's stability.

"Haha, when you put it that way, I get why Hayato was always so frustrated with me when I gave mission reports with Tsuna. Haha! I didn't have a crush, pops. We were engaged. Well, once I proposed with the crown, then we would have been engaged but….now that won't happen."

Tsuyoshi held his right hand up, using his left to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"No, god, I don't want to but I have to ask. Why would you propose with a crown?"

Takeshi raised an eyebrow, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Because when people propose, they use the ring as a symbol to show they are, well, united with someone, y'know. Well, rings are so overrated and Tsuna isn't anything like overrated so it'd be insulting, I think. Besides, he'd look so cute in a crown! Haha!" Takeshi laughed and it was so weird for his son, looking 10, to actually be 40 mentally.

"…go get dressed for school," Tsuyoshi finally sighed and Takeshi complied, skipping up the steps with a hum.

* * *

Tsuyoshi didn't know if he should be surprised or not when Takeshi came home, dragging Sawada Tsunayoshi behind him. Tsunayoshi, the poor child, was tiny compared to Takeshi and his wide eyes were watery with fear and confusion. Oh god, don't tell Tsuyoshi his son kidnapped the tiny Sawada.

"Hi Pops! Tsuna and I became friends today and we're gonna be upstairs playing video games!" Takeshi greeted as he tugged Tsuna towards the stairs, his larger hand gripping Tsuna's in a firm hold.

"Just a minute. Leave Tsuna here and go put your bags away," Tsuyoshi instructed and Takeshi gave a chilling stare before nodding. Tsuna, by himself now with the adult, fidgeted.

"…tell me honestly," Tsuyoshi spoke and Tsuna jumped, looking like a skittish cat. Tsuyoshi took a moment to regard the child. This was the one who had captured his son's heart? This was the boy who made his child speak with such admiration and love? "Did my son kidnap you?"

Little Tsuna's eyes went wide and he shook his head rapidly, looking funny with how fast he moved. This tiny child would be his future son-in-law?

What the fuck, Takeshi.

"T-Takeshi is-is nice," Tsuna stammered, clenching the front of his shirt. "He-he didn't force me to come here. He-he's my first…friend. He is my first friend." The way the child smiled, so warm and happy and so big, it made Tsuyoshi's heart clench. He crouched down in front of Tsuna, patting his head.

"You'll make a great son-in-law," Tsuyoshi stated and Tsuna just stared back, the words going over his head as he blushed at the parental contact.

* * *

It had been a week since Takeshi had turned eleven that Tsuyoshi noticed his son almost religiously measured himself against the doorframe of his bedroom. He had to ask. He didn't want to, but he felt the parental responsibility to ask.

"Takeshi…why…why are you measuring yourself?" Tsuyoshi asked as Takeshi marked where his head rested against the wood. Takeshi stood back and looked at his height mark with a slight frown.

"Tsuna won't be growing much for the next decade or so. Mukuro and Byakuran always used to make fun of him, because he didn't hit a growth-spurt until he was 25. I need to get taller," Takeshi spoke.

"….why?" Tsuyoshi forced himself to ask. You know, for the situation surrounding his son, Tsuyoshi liked to think he handled it pretty well.

"Because," Takeshi stared Tsuyoshi straight in the eyes and the father was reminded of the fact that the Takeshi staring at him was not his Takeshi and wouldn't ever be again. "I need my armrest."

"….what." Tsuyoshi stared after Takeshi as he wandered down the stairs to the kitchen. God dammit, his son was so stupid.

* * *

Considering how their friendship came to be (Takeshi towering over Tsuna and declaring the two of them friends without any sudden warning or explanation) both parents of the two children couldn't help but agree that the two were really great friends to each other. Tsuna was still slightly skittish and had the habit to stutter in the company of strangers, but being friends with Takeshi helped give him confidence.

Takeshi, on the other hand, seemed to just use the child as an armrest, constantly using his head or shoulder to rest his elbow. Tsuna either didn't care or didn't notice, but Tsuyoshi did and he wondered - not for the first time - if Takeshi actually liked Tsuna for himself or for the fact that he was a walking armrest.

* * *

 _"Takeshi." Takeshi looked up from his sword polishing to see Tsuna standing in front of him, elegant eyebrow raised._

 _"Tsuna!" Takeshi jumped up from the couch, startling Lambo out of his nap as the taller male pulled Tsuna into a bear hug. "When did you get back from your meeting?"_

 _"Hi Takeshi -ow, please let go. I got back just a few minutes ago. I'm trying to gather all the guardians up for a little dinner," Tsuna spoke as he stepped away from his touchy rain guardian._

 _"Ahaha, really? I saw Hayato earlier in your office. He was looking over some damage control papers from Kyouya's area," Takeshi spoke as he moved to Tsuna's side, his elbow automatically finding purchase on the shorter male's shoulder. Lambo sat up and waved lazily as he yawned._

 _"Ah, really? I guess that means Kyouya's still away on his mission then? What about Chrome?" Tsuna looked up to his left-hand man._

 _"Um. Chrome is with Mukuro. Mukuro took Fran off for his annual week-long training thing. Kyouya is still gone, yeah. Apparently there's been some issues with a newly founded mafia that Kyouy thinks needs to setted." Tsuna nodded thoughtfully and blinked as he felt Takeshi's elbow leave his shoulder and his arm snake around his waist._

 _"Takeshi," Tsuna sighed, "what are the rules?" The arm left Tsuna's waist._

 _"Not to touch your waist unless you are declaring a tickle war," Takeshi spoke in a slightly sulky tone of voice. Tsuna gave a short laugh and slipped out of Takeshi's personal space._

 _"Come on now," Tsuna spoke as he went over to grab Lambo's hand, seeing as the 25 year old man was beginning to nod off again, "let's go grab Ryohei and Hayato and eat some lunch!"_

 _Takeshi followed behind the two, his eyes falling to Tsuna, who was childishly swinging Lambo's hand in his with a laugh._

* * *

Takeshi woke up with a start, bolting up from his bed. He looked to his left to see Tsuna curled up against him, sound asleep. Having been friends for 4 years now, Tsuna and Takeshi had developed a habit of cuddling in their sleep when they slept over together. Reaching the ages of 14, Tsuyoshi had taken Takeshi by the shoulders one day and had said, staring Takeshi straight in the eyes, "Use protection."

Nana thought it was adorable they still shared a bed when they had sleep overs.

Tsuna was oblivious.

Tsuyoshi left condoms at his study desk, near his bathroom sink, and some found their way into his wallet.

Takeshi, for all his years in the mafia and surrounded by crazies, only laughed and stashed the condoms away for (hopefully) future uses.

* * *

Takeshi had been a first year at Nami Middle for a few months when he came home one day, eyes empty and his face void of any smiles. Tsuna was, surprisingly, not with him. This instantly caught Tsuyoshi's attention.

"Takeshi…what's wrong?" Tsuyoshi spoke, moving from behind the sushi counter to go over to turn off their open sign. Thankfully it was dead so he didn't have to worry about ushering any customers out. Takeshi threw his bag onto the table, a sudden look of pure loathing crossing his face.

"Tsuna's in the hospital," Takeshi spat out. Tsuyoshi stilled.

"What?" The older (or was he?) Yamamoto questioned.

"Tsuna. He's in the hospital. An assassin went after him," Takeshi explained and clenched his hands into fists.

"…an assassin?" Tsuyoshi breathed, eyes taking in his son's figure without thought. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He got banged up a bit. But don't worry." Something feral flashed through Takeshi's eyes. "The assassin won't be bothering him anymore."

This wasn't his son. This wasn't 14 year old Takeshi. This was 44 year old Takeshi in the body of his 14 year old self.

"Do you know who sent the assassin?" Tsuyoshi spoke after a moment. Takeshi snorted rather uncharacteristically, looking at his father with something akin to smug tugging on his lips.

"Yeah." The smug look fell and all he was left with was a betrayed expression. "Vongola."

"The same Vongola that Tsuna-kun is supposed to lead someday?" Tsuyoshi felt the headache coming on.

"Yeah. But it's okay. I'm going to protect Tsuna. I'll make sure we get to grow old together! Haha!" Takeshi laughed, his chuckles tinged with the desperate echo of hysteria.

 _He stared at the coffin - black, sleek, marked with a gold X. Byakuran would pay. He'd -_

 _Tsuna screamed his name, rushing towards him as Takeshi fell to the ground, his body shuddering as it felt the warm ooze of his blood flow down his frontside. An echoing BANG sounded as a bullet ripped through Tsuna's skull and flesh, blood splattering as Tsuna crumpled to the ground._

 _TSUNA TSUNA TSUNA-_

"After all," Takeshi spoke as he rubbed his head, "I get what I want if I work hard enough for it, right?"


	2. Iemitsu NO

Three years before the conception and eventual birth of one Sawada Tsunayoshi, Oregano was going into labor with a child conceived between herself and Iemitsu Sawada.

Before Iemitsu met Nana and their romance went down in the books at the sappiest love story to ever be recounted, Iemitsu was afraid he'd never have a heir to take over his title as the CEDEF boss. Due to his fears and Oregano's vast loyalty to the organization and Vongola itself, she agreed to sleep with Iemitsu to bear him a kid.

She just had to get drunk first.

Very, very, very drunk.

Looking at him, Oregano felt nothing but regret at having to have sex with such a ugly-ass man (in her opinion. Thankfully though he at least had a nice body to look at. His face, not so much).

After the child was born, Oregano was left to name the human who had half her genes in it. Staring at the freaky thing that came out of her stomach via C-section, she could only draw a blank.

"Turmeric," Oregano spoke as Iemitsu went to fetch some more towels. "Name the kid."

Turmeric, looking pale and all but holding onto the pull-out couch for support after witnessing his old friend all but cursing the Gods themselves, could only gape. Lal Mirch rolled her eyes and jumped up onto the bed, poking a tiny finger to the tiny baby's head.

"He's going to be the heir to the CEDEF, yeah?" Lal Mirch spoke and gave a smirk that Oregano could see parental softness at the edges. "Then name him Ettore. Loyal. It's befitting, considering the sole reason for his conception."

Thus Ettore Sawada was born into the darkness of the underground. At the age of three, he became the older brother figure to an orphaned baby the members of the CEDEF called Basil.

When he was four, Ettore learned of the existence of his baby half brother, Tsunayoshi. Mama Oregano had all but smacked her forehead, yelling at her boss as to why he had slept and married some innocent civilian. Iemitsu had told her straight faced, "Love conquers all." She had proceeded to punch him in the face and take Ettore to the training area to play with baby Basil.

Ettore had a little brother. An actual baby brother of flesh and blood. Ettore's little baby brother wasn't going to be born into the mafia like Ettore was. The young child couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Now he'd probably never get to meet Tsunayoshi.

When Ettore was thirteen, he heard whispered rumors of how a up-and-coming Familia, the Avvoltoio Family, had been destroyed overnight by a well-known Japanese Yazuka Family. At the time, Ettore had found the information pointless and had barely cared that some Family named after a Skylark had slaughtered an entire family. The Avvoltoio family weren't any allies of Vongola, and so it did not matter to him what happened to some small-fry family.

When Ettore was sixteen, he learned that a low-ranked subordinate of Vongola had been sent to assassinate his baby brother, who was only 14 at the time. The news had come back to CEDEF when a tape was delivered to Iemitsu.

Iemitsu had inserted the DVD and the small cluster of CEDEF members could only watch as the footage showed the surveillance cameras around Namimori. The camera was focused on the young Tsunayoshi, who was walking along side a taller Japanese male.

Ettore took in Tsuna's features without blinking. Unlike Ettore, who took his mother's light brown hair and eyes, Tsuna seemed to have his own biological mother's features. Neither looked like their father (which Oregano constantly said was a good thing). Sadly though, it looked like his younger half brother had gotten the short end of the stick height wise and Ettore didn't know if he should find that amusing or not.

They watched as the clip continued to show an assassin jump out of the shadows, a bullet going through Tsuna's side when the taller Japanese male had suddenly jerked Tsuna back by his arm. The CEDEF members watched in silent horror as Tsuna went down, screaming as he clenched his side and powerful, bright blue rain flames erupt from the Japanese teen, his body moving faster than the assassin could catch. He appeared behind the man and snapped his neck without a second of hesitation. By this point, Tsuna had been slumped to the side, unconscious. The rain flames leaked away from the teen as he stared down at the corpse of the would-be-assassin.

The teen's eyes flashed up to stare directly at the hidden camera perked along a building's ledge and he pointed at the corpse, shaking his head with a blank stare.

The feed cut off and Iemitsu looked at the envelope the DVD had come in, opening a letter.

"'That was a stupid thing for you to do'," Iemitsu read aloud and crinkled the paper as his grip tightened.

Turns out that some of the low ranked subordinates had assumed that since all of the Ninth's sons were killed, that Ettore would have to fight against his half-brother (who all of the Vongola Mafia knew about because _someone_ couldn't keep their mouth shut or pictures to themselves) and so they had decided that by killing the half-sibling, Ettore would be able to take the title of Vongola Head without any issues.

They made a stupid mistake.

And now apparently they had a teenage hitman who could control rain flames after them.

Iemitsu was punched in the face.


	3. Hayato NO

Hayato jerked upwards from his bed, hands flying up to his neck where he felt the ghost pains of dynamite being shoved down his throat before they were ignited.

"Another nightmare, mio figlio?" Hayato looked up from his covers to the woman standing at the doorway of his room, her silver hair spilling over one shoulder.

Faintly, Hayato remembered some sort of meme that consisted of dead moms and hair over one shoulder and shook his head.

"Yeah," Hayato responded as he pushed the blankets back, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. "Just the usual."

Yes, the usual. Night after night of crushing defeat and overwhelming guilt at failing his most important person. Night after night of endless agony at seeing his beloved boss shot down like a majestic bird, his best friend dying in front of him before he himself had his own wings clipped and his head blown clean off by his own weapons.

Just the usual.

Hayato watched how his mother swayed into the room and sat down next to him, running a hand through his long hair.

"Your hair is getting long, my son," Lavina teased. Hayato relished in the parental touch, leaning into her hold. He was ten years old with the mind of a forty year old and for the first time in his life -second life - he could enjoy the presence of a mother.

Two things Hayato discovered when he gained his past-life/parallel universe memories:

One, his mother never died in a car accident and her fatal illness was cured by Shamal. She married Hayato's father due to her longevity and was able to become Hayato's mother and not a stranger he had a fond attachment to.

Two, he had heard whispers in the shadows of Iemitsu's first born, Ettore Sawada, who was being groomed to take over the CEDEF. Thanks to his hacking skills and the fact that in the future, he had helped design a better security system with Shoichi and Spanner's help, he was able to get the information he needed to know.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was in fact alive and living peacefully.

Files listed how he seemed to have a clingy best friend.

Hayato betted his Storm Flames he knew who that Clingy Best Friend was.

"I'll cut it," Hayato spoke when he realized he had been zoning out.

"Mama," Hayato looked to his mom. "I love you." Lavina blinked at her son before cooing, tackling him into a hug.

"I love you too Hayato!" Lavina squealed.

* * *

Hayato couldn't understand what was going on.

"Hayato," Iemitsu leaned heavily on his desk, staring at the young boy. "You are known as the Smokin' Bomb Hayato. You are well-respected in the underground and for your age, your talent is immense. You have been chosen to go to become my son's body guard."

Stop. Wait. Hold on. Hold it. No. NO. NO!

"What." Hayato couldn't get anything else out.

"You're ten," Ettore spoke with a grunt of respect. "You've already put two families six-feet under with your talents. You'd make a good body guard to me, the next Head of the CEDEF."

"Um." Hayato really had to get a new vocabulary. "Okay?"

This was not part of the plan. ABORT MISSION. ABORT ABORT.

"Good!" Iemitsu beamed and turned to his thirteen year old son, who gave a smile of relief. Beside the teenager, Basil looked between the three in the room.

"Okay. I'm going to...go?" Hayato really didn't know what to do. In his past life/parallel universe/other life(?) he had never gotten along with Iemitsu due to the man's utter failure at being an all around good human and he didn't know one thing about this Ettore kid who was never born in the other life.

Hayato's head was beginning to hurt.

* * *

Hayato stared at the file Iemitsu had stupidly left out in the meeting room, his eyes glazed as he looked at the title.

 **AVVOLTOIO FAMILIA UCCIDERE.** Vulture Family Killed. Avvoltoio…

 _"You're meeting with the Avvoltoio Don, Tenth?" Hayato looked up from his own paperwork to Tsuna, who gave a nod as he stretched._

 _"Yep! They're fairly big now, and growing. I think it'd be a good idea to try and form an alliance with them before they become an issue. They've asked that we all attend," Tsuna spoke as he stepped around his desk, setting his reading glasses on the mahogany surface. He rubbed at his eyes, pulling at the wrinkles that were forming. For a forty year old, he stilled looked very young. If it weren't for the crows-feet, you'd think he was in his mid-thirties._

 _Hayato stood up as well, moving to open the door for Tsuna._

 _"Thanks," Tsuna grinned, looking side to side at the hallway. "Wanna sneak out of here before any of the other Guardians decide they want to join us for lunch?" That mischievous gleam was in Tsuna's eye and Hayato agreed without a second thought, following his beloved best friend down the hall quietly as they looked both ways for Kyouya or Takeshi or Lambo._

 _"Haha!" There was that headache that came with the idiot's appearance. "Where are you two going?"_

 _"Takeshi!" Tsuna squeaked, whirling around. There stood Takeshi and Lambo, both looking at the two sneaking men curiously._

 _"Shove it Baseball Idiot!" Hayato snapped and grabbed Tsuna's arm, dashing down the hallway as Tsuna erupted into laughter._

 _Hayato basked in the laughter, knowing he was one of the only ones who could actually make his shorter friend laugh like that. He was Tsuna's first friend, after all._

 ** _-BLOOD BLOOD - oh god he wasn't moving - there was a bullet hole through his head - his smile was calm as they walked into the meeting room, Tsuna greeting the Avvoltoio Don with the grace of a saint - "TENTH!"_**

"Hayato?" Hayato looked up from the file detailing the new family's demise by a Japanese Yakuza Family whose seal was a Skylark (Hayato squished down the sliver of hope at reading that because there could be no way) and blinked up at Ettore, who was standing there with a tray of tea.

"You okay? You looked...you looked like you wanted to cry," Ettore explained and glanced at the file. Disinterest crossed his features and Hayato quickly cleaned up the papers, making way for his Temporary-Boss to put down the tray of tea.

"Yes," Hayato spoke with a nod. "I'm fine." Hayato tried to smile for the teenager who only gave a confused look before nodding.

He would be fine, once he saw Tsunayoshi again.

* * *

He was furious.

"Your younger half-brother almost got killed by an assassin Vongola sent?" Hayato practically growled, hands clenched into fists.

He was absolutely livid.

"How the fuck could anyone even know about your younger brother? I thought your dad kept his existence a _secret_!"

He-

Was buying two plane tickets to Japan.

"Come on mom!" Hayato all but groaned, tugging all their luggage towards the loading dock. "We're going to miss the flight at this rate!" Lavina just strolled on, shaking her head at her child's impatience.

"Of course, Hayato. I'm sorry for dragging my feet," Lavina said and, just to spite him, seemed to move her pace even slower. Hayato gave a very childish groan, unbefitting for a fourteen year old, and got behind her, pushing her towards the gate to their plane. Lavina gave a giggle and allowed herself to be pushed, secretly wondering what had her child so huffy. While she wasn't complaining about moving to Japan, she couldn't help but wonder what made her son suddenly decide to move there.

Oh well.

* * *

The moment they landed, Hayato all but dashed out of the airport, nearly leaving their luggage and his mother in his haste. He hailed a taxi and, after loading it up and apologizing to his mother for running down a silver haired man (who Hayato had been aiming for the entire time, the damned checkered-masked bastard), gave directions to a small strip of apartments not far from a local sushi restaurant.

Lavina couldn't help but feel impressed that not only did her child speak fluent Japanese without so much as an accent, but the fact that he had a apartment set up and knew the entire town like the back of his hand.

She also couldn't help the seed of concern over that. Had he been planning to move out without her knowledge and at the last second, decided to let her tag along?

"We're here!" Hayato all but shouted in joy and Lavina snapped out of her thoughts to look at the apartment building. Well, it looked nice.

"Come on come on! I wanna show you what I had set up!" Hayato chatted as he ushered Lavina out of the taxi, up the stairs, and into the apartment.

"Mom," Hayato breathed and looked at her with such glee, it stole her doubt away. "Welcome home."

The apartment was spacious but homey and Lavina couldn't have been happier.

It didn't help that Hayato seemed to be over the moon at being in Japan either.

* * *

The day Hayato came home with two friends was the day Lavina had made friends with two local parents, one owning the sushi restaurant down the street and another living a few blocks away. The three parents had been sitting in Lavina's living room, getting to know each other over cups of tea and cookies (courtesy of Sawada Nana) when Hayato had come crashing into the house, yelling about introducing his two new friends.

Imagine the group's surprise when they found out Hayato's new friend were the children of Lavina's new friends. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi couldn't help but laugh while Nana cooed over the fact that her 'Tsu-kun and Take-kun' could make another friend.

"Hayato," Lavina spoke as she stared at how the taller teenager seemed to look around the room in a way that reminded her of the men back in Italy, "who are your friends?"

"This," Hayato spoke and Lavina watched, for the first time in his life, that Hayato gestured towards the shorter of the trio with such respect and admiration and _love,_ "is Tsunayoshi! The other one is Baseball-Idiot."

Tsuyoshi twitched at the nickname for his son while Nana 'aw'ed at the fact that Hayato was so comfortable calling her son by his first name.

"Haha! Geez Hayato, great way to introduce me to your mom! You're right though! She is a beautiful woman. I can see where you get your charm," Takeshi spoke and Tsuyoshi nearly choked on his tea while Hayato blushed and stammered before falling into the decision to scream Takeshi's ear off.

"Pl-please stop fighting, you two!" Tsuna squeaked out and Hayato immediately rounded onto Tsuna, stars in his eyes.

"Of course Tsunayoshi-sama!" Hayato chirped while Takeshi just chuckled, his eyes glistening with something reminiscent to melancholy.

"Ara?" Nana tilted her head to the side. "Tsunayoshi-sama? Why such an extravagant nickname, Haya-kun?"

Nana stiffened, along with the other adults in the room, as Hayato stared her down with such an intense gaze that they almost had to do a double take to make sure an adult wasn't actually standing in front of them.

"Tsunayoshi-sama is an amazing individual and he will grow up to be even more amazing," Hayato spoke, his voice raw as he let his emotions leak into his words.

 **"Hayato," Tsuna spoke, looking up from his lap, where Chrome's head was. His hand was running through her purple hair, his eyes soft.**

 **"Yes, Tenth?" Hayato spoke and let his eyes flash over to Takeshi, who was resting his head against Tsuna's shoulder, snoozing with his mouth open. Lambo was sprawled out across both Chrome and Takeshi, snoring loudly.**

 **"No matter what, you'll follow me?" Tsuna spoke, a ounce of doubt weighing his voice down.**

 **"No matter what," Hayato spoke, reaching a hand across the couches to grasp Tsuna's. "You're my best friend Tsuna and not even that Baseball Idiot can beat me when it comes to loyalty. You were the first one to look at me and see me as someone you could befriend, no use, and I will never be able to repay you for that."**

"BASEBALL IDIOT GET YOUR HAND OFF TSUNAYOSHI-SAMA'S WAIST!" Hayato exploded and Tsuyoshi rejoiced in the background at the fact that there was now someone to keep his weird-ass son in check when he couldn't see him.

Lavina smiled, because she felt that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

When Hayato, Takeshi, and Tsuna had met, Tsuna had been completely overwhelmed by the strange silver-haired boy who had dropped down in front of him and sobbed loudly, hiding his face in the dirt as Tsuna got down on his knees, begging the stranger to calm down.

Takeshi had just stood in the background, eyes wide and tears prickling as he watched his two best friends meet for the first time, one seemingly with the memories of their past life.

Then the tear receded as he watched Hayato grip at Tsuna's hands, pressing them to his forehead as he nasally cried apologies over and over again, begging for forgiveness for something the brunette had no knowledge of.

Ah, Takeshi thought as Tsuna tried to comfort the emotional teen, competition.


	4. Kyouya PLEASE STOP NO

When Hibari Kyouya was eight years old, he woke his parents up at three in the morning by the crashing and thrashing coming from his room. Fearing a rival Yakuza member had gotten in, they had rushed to their son's room.

They could only stare as they took in the scene of their little boy utterly destroying his entire room, purple flames dancing from his newly gifted metal tonfas.

"Kyo-kun?" Hibari Machiko whispered, eyes unable to look away from the flickering violet. "Did you not like your new bed?"

Hibari Masato looked at his wife as if she were crazy before glancing around the shambled room. Ah, he had just gotten that draw-screen replaced too…

"I'll bite them to death," Kyouya growled low in his throat, sounding far more bloodthirsty and threatening than any adult the two had ever heard. "I'll make them beg for mercy."

He could still feel it, the utter helplessness as they broke his arms and legs, holding him down as they dug their knives into his stomach, tearing his insides out and laughing all the while. Their belittling, ugly laughter echoed and rang in his ears and Kyouya gave a deafening roar, smashing his tonfa through the tatami flooring.

"Who do we have to kill?" Masato asked and his wife punched him in the side when predatory eyes landed on him.

"Kyo-kun, calm down first and then we can-" Machiko were interrupted as Kyouya gave a snarl.

"The Avvoltoio Familia," the child spat and his parents could only rear back in alarm at the sound of the Italian Family. A Mafia Family had sent their young child on a frenzy for blood? How? When? Why?

"Done," Masato promised and Machiko stomped on his foot, smiling all the while as the violet disappeared and Kyouya slumped forward slightly, looking exhausted.

"Get some sleep, Kyouya," Masato spoke and Kyouya looked at his torn up bed. "Er. We'll pull a spare futon out in our room."

Machiko chopped Masato on the back of the head.

* * *

Kyouya laid on his back, staring up at the sun and the sky and the lazy clouds that drifted by. He reached a hand up, eyes subconsciously dancing around the area in search for a flash of yellow.

No Hibird. Kyouya was sad.

"Hn." Kyouya grunted, dropping his arm to his side. He was nine, which gave him three more years before his parents decided to up and leave for a three-year vacation around the world that would result in Kyouya taking over rein of Namimori and thus, give birth to the Disciplinary Committee.

Masato's hard work was pulling up a lot of information. At this time, the Avvoltoio Family were just starting to form, barely even a decade old. They were tiny in comparison to their future selves and that was how Kyouya wanted it. He wanted them gone. He wanted them to die.

 _"Kyouya," Tsunayoshi called, looking up in the tree that he knew the Cloud Guardian was perched. "I've been summoned for a meeting with the Avvoltoio Familia. You, Hayato, and Takeshi are coming with me, okay?"_

 _No response. Tsuna gave a shriek as Kyouya dropped down behind him, leaves and tiny flowers sticking to his hair._

 _"Kyouya! Stop that!You're forty-three, for heaven's sake!" Tsuna whined, easily dodging a tonfa that came out of nowhere._

 _"Silence Herbivore. Just the four of us?" Kyouya asked. Not that he wanted that Pineapple Bastard to come or anything…_

 _"Hm? Yeah. Mukuro and Chrome are on a mission with Fran right now and Lambo went with Ryohei to visit mom and dad in Japan," Tsuna nodded, tapping his chin._

 _"Oh?" Kyouya mused and tilted his head down slightly, showing he understood. Tsuna rolled his eyes and turned, Hayato and Takeshi standing near the doorway leading back into their mansion._

 _"We leave tomorrow after breakfast!" Tsuna called as he followed Hayato in, Takeshi trailing after them with a laugh._

Kyouya bit back a snarl at the fact that someone had been able to break him. Kyouya had been defeated by weaklings, and he hated it.

Not this time. Not this time.

* * *

At the age of ten, Masato presented Kyouya with the knowledge that the Avvoltoio Family were no longer around. The Hibari Family were known throughout the underworld, The Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, and American Mafia knowing of them as easily as everyone else knew of everyone else. However, while a Yakuza Family, the Hibari Clan had made a reputation of only ever going after other Families if it was for personal reasons. Besides that, they stuck to keeping their ideals of justice in place.

Therefore, when the news of Hibari's slaughter of the Avvoltoio Familia came about, no one batted an eyelash and thought the destroyed Familia deserved it. After all, they must have done something to really piss the Yakuza Family off if it meant that the Head, Masato, had to personally come for a visit.

Kyouya had looked up at his father before bowing his head, giving his thanks for his job well done. A pat on the head and a farewell later, Kyouya was left in charge of Namimori and all it's residents.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

He kept his eyes and ears out for the tiny herbivore who seemed to grow a second head this life time. Kyouya always saw the young Sawada with Yamamoto, Yamamoto being his normal self and using the shorter child as a arm-rest.

Kyouya never understood the need for the taller male to do so. He had even gotten Mukuro to do it later on in life.

In this life, it seems that the constant social outgoing-ness of Takeshi had made Tsuna somewhat less paranoid and jumpy. He still stammered and tripped over his own feet but now he never had any bullies and even talked to people.

Kyouya and Takeshi had met gazes once, when Kyouya was standing guard at the school gates, and Kyouya had given a subtle, approving nod. Takeshi had looked alarmed for a second before beaming and that was that.

* * *

When Kyouya caught wind of the news that an assassin had been in Namimori and had attacked one of his civilians, everyone learned the meaning of fear. Kyouya had torn through the streets, beating down anyone who got in his way until he came upon the scene of the crime, staring at the unconscious body of Tsunayoshi, the dead body of the assassin, and Takeshi staring down at the corpse with a blank face.

"I'd have thought you had more self control, Rain," Kyouya had spoken, flipping his phone open to call on his personal body-cleaners and medical staff. Takeshi had looked up at him, alarmed once more, before he gave a bitter smirk.

"He shot Tsuna," Takeshi spoke as he crouched down, gingerly brushing bangs from Tsuna's pale sweaty face. "That's a big no-no."

Out of Hayato and Takeshi, everyone always assumed that Hayato was the more protective one. Loyal, yes. But Kyouya knew that Takeshi was more protective and possessive than any of the other Guardians.

"Indeed," Kyouya spoke and pointedly looked away when Takeshi's hand cupped Tsuna's cheek.

"I heard some whispers that the Avvoltoio Family is no more." Kyouya looked to Takeshi, who met his eyes. Kyouya's eyes darkened.

"I," Kyouya bit out, "do not bow down to weaklings." Takeshi gave a dark chuckle, standing up.

"Yeah," Takeshi spoke and his eyes were as cold as the corpse lying by their feet. "I know what you mean."

When everything was said and done, Tsuna was sent to the hospital, Takeshi was sent home, and Kyouya was left staring at the blood stain on the concrete that belonged to the Sky he'd linger around.

"Weaklings," Kyouya muttered. "Everyone is a weakling."

* * *

The day Hayato came to Japan, Kyouya knew. He knew what apartment the bomber lived in, how much the rent was, and how many people lived there. He knew all of the people who came and left the apartment and he knew when Tsunayoshi, Takeshi, and Hayato became friends.

He could only watch from a distance as Hayato begged the short brunette for forgiveness and crossed his arms.

"Hn," the Skylark spoke and mentally counted the days until he could clash weapons with a certain 'Kufufu'ing bastard.


	5. Mukuro and Chrome NO

He remembered feeling numb, when the news came that the Neo Primo Vongola Don was dead. He remembered the laughter bubbling from his lips as he heard that the Rain, Storm, and Cloud Guardians had fallen with their Sky.

He remembered slaughtering the pathetic, disgusting pigs that were only a reminder to why he wanted to destroy the Mafia world.

He remembered Chrome crying as he bled out in her arms, shot in multiple places and bleeding fast.

He remembered thinking "Ah shit" before he died.

Mukuro was up and alert with a gasp of air, expanding his lungs as wide as they'd go as he looked around.

He was in a dirty, grimy room, Ken and Chikusa laying not far from him, asleep.

"Huh," was all Mukuro could utter as he raised a hand to his bleeding eye. "Well, this is different." Now he knew how Byakuran felt.

 _"Mukuro-sama?"_ Chrome's voice drifted in through his mind, bouncing against the back of his eyelids.

 _"Nagi?"_ Mukuro called back, surprise and dread in his tone.

 _"Oh thank god you remember! I gained my memories back last week and tried contacting you and you must not have gotten your memories back because you just started attacking me mentally, thinking I was an enemy and Mukuro-sama, I'm so scared!"_ One thing Mukuro never got used to - Chrome turning into a babbling chatterbox thanks to those gossip girls that lurked around Tsunayoshi.

 _"Calm down, my Nagi. Where are you?"_ Mukuro asked, glancing at his sleeping companions.

 _"Namimori,"_ was the instant response.

...

 _"What."_ Damn, that girl moved fast!

 _"I panicked and didn't know what to do so I left home and went to Namimori. Boss, he's so small!"_

 _"Nagi, calm down. Just -calm down. Okay. How old are we?"_ Mukuro wasn't the best judge of age and he couldn't find a mirror in this shit-hole.

 _"Thirteen,"_ Chrome responded. _"I don't remember Boss being so short, though. His Rain doesn't notice me, either. I guess they wouldn't. Only you and Boss could see through my illusions."_

Thirteen. Okay, . He could work with that. Totally work with that. No sweat.

Mukuro looked up again as he saw Ken shift, sitting up with a yawn. The blond blinked before his head snapped to Mukuro, a yelp slipping past his lips.

"Mukuro-sama, you're awake-byon! Oi, Kaki-pi! Mukuro-sama's awake!" Ken punched Chikusa in the side, earning a grunt and a kick in the groin as the taller boy sat up, looking less than happy to be awake.

"Mukuro-sama," Chikusa spoke with his usual empty tone. "You're awake."

Mukuro just stared at the two. Had his younger self been unconscious for a period of time?

"You've been out since three days ago-byon! You really had us worried. Are you okay?" Ken shuffled over, plopping himself in front of Mukuro. Mukuro blinked at the two before giving his trademark laugh, moving a hand to his right eye.

He drew his hand back, looking at the blood coating his bare flesh.

"I'm perfectly fine, Ken," Mukuro spoke and the blond shuddered, scooting back with his figurative tail between his legs. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"Where?" Chikusa looked at Mukuro patiently.

"Namimori, Japan," Mukuro spoke and his two companions stared back at him blankly.

"Mukuro-sama," Ken started.

"We're in Namimori," Chikusa finished.

"..." Mukuro could hear Chrome's giggles in his mind and he turned his face away, trying to hide the pink dusting his cheeks.

"I knew that," Mukuro spoke. "I was testing you!"

God, he was lame.

* * *

The next morning as Mukuro was departing from the abandoned building to find a better living area for them, a thought occurred to him.

 _"Nagi,"_ Mukuro called to his other half.

 _"Yes?"_ Chrome's curious voice drifted in.

 _"How are you here?"_ A fair question, even though Mukuro didn't even know how he himself was in this parallel universe. _"From what I remembered, you never died. I slaughtered that disgusting excuse of a Familia so…"_

Through their mental link, Mukuro could sense her unease. It suddenly clicked.

Mukuro stopped walking, eyes going wide.

"There was more than the Avvoltoio Famiglia," Mukuro breathed and he felt Chrome shift in the back of his mind. "I knew it was stupid for one Famiglia to try and fight against Vongola, no matter how large their numbers, but it never occurred to me that there could be other families allying with them."

 _"They were waiting in the shadows,"_ Chrome's soft whisper cherished his cheeks and wrapped around his shoulders in a hug. _"The Avvoltoio Famiglia seemed to have been just the first wave, acting as the ones to break Vongola. After you decimated them, the other allies came out and attacked. They attacked the Simon Famiglia, the Chiavarone Famiglia, Nuevo Famiglia, Tomaso Famiglia, the Beccio Famiglia, the Giegue Famiglia, Gesso Famiglia, and the Giglio Nero Famiglia. They didn't stand a chance. Byakuran and Yuni were already weakened due to the unbalance of the Tri-Ni-Sette and Enma's family was already weakened from a struggle with a rival Famiglia. The others were already weak, riding on Vongola's coat-tails so they were easy pickings."_ Chrome fell silent.

 _"You died,"_ Mukuro stated. _"How?"_

Chrome didn't answer and Mukuro shrugged his shoulders and went on his way, smirking all the while when he passed by Kyouya who barely batted an eyelash at him. Not like he could see through his illusions anyways.

* * *

Chrome remembered crying into Mukuro's blood-soaked neck. She remembered clawing and punching at the allied members who tried to usher her away from Mukuro's dead body. She remembered looking up in horror when the Avvoltoio's allies sprung out from hiding, taking down everyone but her.

She remembered the pain of having her eyes dug out by bare hands. She remembered the pain of having her throat sliced open.

She remembered the hideous high-pitched shrieks of laughter coming from the repulsive men who called themselves humans. 

She remembered jerking up from her sleep, only to empty her stomach into her lap and sob at the ghost pain of suffocation.

She had tried to reach Mukuro but to no avail. She was all alone.

Until she wasn't. Until she could feel Mukuro's comforting presence in her mind and she reached out, glee bursting through her chest at the sound of his voice, calling her name, reassuring her. He was alive, she was alive, everyone was alive - !

Feet appeared in her line of vision and Chrome looked up from the ground, blinking at the sight of Mukuro standing in front of her. She tilted her head back, Mukuro's hands moving to grasp at the chains of the swing she was sitting on.

"Mukuro-sama," Chrome gasped, tears already spilling. Mukuro smiled and leaned down, pressing their foreheads together as Chrome sobbed into her hands, both eyes sparkling with happiness and guilt. Pain and remorse. Determination and resignation.

"My Nagi," Mukuro greeted and pressed his lips to her head. "Come. We have much to do. We must find these allied families before they decide to cause more issues."

Mukuro held a hand out to Chrome and she grasped it, letting him pull her up. Mukuro paused, eying her up and down.

"Your hair is long," Mukuro spoke. "It reminds me of the first time I ever met you. You should keep it. It reminds me of when you grow older." Chrome just smiled, intertwining their finger together.

"Of course, Mukuro-sama," Chrome spoke, tears drying up. "I wouldn't want to continue wearing that silly hair-cut." Mukuro's eyebrow twitched and Chrome quickly back-tracked. "I mean, it is very fashionable but I think it suits Mukuro-sama better than anyone else!"

"Nice save," Mukuro spoke with a forced smile and Chrome couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up. She tightened their hands and felt that everything would be alright.

* * *

 _"Who are they?" A random allied member called, jumping out of the way of a rain-flamed coated bullet._

 _"The Sciacallo Famiglia and the Procione Famiglia!" Chrome snapped back, catching glimpse of their crests. How befitting, for them to be named after scavengers. They fit the description, picking off the left-overs of fallen prey._

 _Chrome tightened her grip on hr trident and stabbed the sharp end through someone who was stupid enough to charge her. She smashed the blunt end into the ground after flicking the bleeding body off and illusions sprung up, screams and wails of alarm sounding as the ground burst into flames and gravel and cobblestone split apart to form black holes in the ground._

 _She stood her ground, standing over the corpse of her beloved soulmate and damned the heavens and hell for putting her family through this._

Chrome looked up from her hands, blinking at Ken who stared at her wordlessly and handed her a chocolate bar. Chrome raised and hand, touching a wet cheek, before she gave a grateful smile and took the offered sweet.

"We're moving?" Chikusa's voice drew their attention over to Mukuro and Chikusa, both standing across from each other.

"Yes," Mukuro stated and pointed at them. "We are moving into an apartment."

"How'd you get the money?" Ken asked and Mukuro pointed to Chrome, who rubbed a finger over her chocolate bar.

"I stole my mom's savings," Chrome revealed and the two teens raised eyebrows. "She deserved it." Because Chrome would never forgive her for being so selfish.

"I found a cute two room apartment that renting cheap," Mukuro continued on.

And if, by some totally coincidental reason, the apartment complex happened to be the one that Hayato had been keeping an eye on for the last three years, Mukuro wouldn't say anything. So what if he hacked into Kyouya's computer when he wasn't around to find out all the tabs Kyouya had on 'suspicious activity'? So what if he pulled a few strings, possessed a few people, and chanced upon Hayato talking about the apartment complex with that Ettore Sawada boy?

Mukuro would just shrug and smirk and laugh his stupid 'kufufu' laugh and not say a word.


	6. Lambo NO

In the Bovino Mansion, the uttering of 'crazy' was taboo. One time a maid had used the word and had sent the three-year old Lambo in a fit, the tiny toddler screaming at the top of his lungs that he wasn't crazy, that he wasn't insane, that he really was from the future, that he needed his Big Bro Tsuna.

When the Bovino Boss sat Lambo down and told him that this 'Big Bro' didn't exist, tiny Lambo nearly summoned lightning from how distraught he became.

"But he's real!" Little Lambo sobbed as he clutched onto his father's pant-leg. "He's real! I need to see my Big Brother! I need to see my Big Bro! I couldn't save him but I want to see him!"

After that outburst, little Lambo was put onto medication and sealed away to the furthest parts of the Mansion, deemed an embarrassment to the Bovino Famiglia.

At the age of four, subdued, medicated Tiny Lambo disappeared, slipping from the Mansion out of a hidden passageway that was created during the First Generation's time.

Little Lambo, eyes empty and mind a cluster of panic and memories and weighed down with a heaviness that always seemed to grow with each pill he took to 'calm himself' as his Mama told him, wandered the streets of Italy until he bumped into a young boy who who his medicine-riddled mind whispered as Basil.

Basil took him back with him to the CEDEF head-quarters and asked Ettore if he could watch over him. Ettore, who for some reason made Lambo want to scream and cry and call a fake, just nodded. Sometimes, out of the haze that blanketed Lambo as he sat silently and obediently in the corner while Basil worked, Lambo would see a flash of silver. He was always hidden in the corners where it was hard to see him, as Basil was afraid he might get in the way, so many who visited barely even knew he was there.

When he saw the silver he'd think of his hot-headed older-brother, a brother whose head had been blown clean off and whose body never got a funeral before Vongola fell and Lambo was killed in a game of chase.

At the age of five, Lambo decided to stop taking his 'calm down' pills. After a month, he was loud and hyper, running up and down the halls of the base while wondering where 'Stupid-Dere' was. Ettore still made Lambo want to break something, but at least Lambo knew why now.

Ettore was Tsuna's older half-brother and that meant that Ettore would get in the way of Tsuna being great. Lambo didn't like him and would never call him a Big Bro. He was a stranger and Lambo did not like him.

* * *

Lambo didn't remember much details from his memories, only the basics. He blamed it on his young brain. He remembered how he died, how everyone died, but not in detail and not by who.

He remembered the news that his big brothers had been killed and had all but blamed himself. If only he hadn't gone to Japan at the time. If only he'd stayed with Tsuna. If only…

Even with his guilt and self-hatred, Lambo knew that if he'd stayed with Tsuna, if he'd gone with him to the meeting, his death would have been far more gruesome than what he had to suffer.

When Hayato up and left, abandoning Ettore and being claimed a 'lousy, lazy, sorry-excuse of a body guard', Lambo had known that he had gone to Japan. After all, Lambo wanted to go to Japan too. He wanted to be with his Big Bro Tsuna.

Lambo had walked up to Ettore, forced down his snarls and spit, and had tugged on the older male's pant leg.

"Yeah?" Ettore asked, glancing down at the child whose personality had done a complete 180.

"Idiot Haya went to Japan," Lambo spoke and Ettore's eyes found Lambo's shining ones and he crouched down to Lambo's height.

"Yes?" Ettore asked, already knowing the details but wondering if maybe the child knew more. "He did. Do you know why?"

"Idiot Haya went to be with Big Bro Tsu and that's where Lambo wants to go," Lambo spoke, begrudging the fact that he still sounded like a child. He blamed it on his young mind. Soon he'd be speaking as cool and mature as his future self.

"Oh? Big Brother Tsu, huh? Why would Haya do that?" Ettore asked, moving to pat Lambo's afro and retracted it, staring at the grenade that stuck to his hand.

What.

"Because Big Bro Tsu is going to be the best Sky ever, duh." Lambo stared at Ettore as if he were an idiot. Ettore scooped the tiny child up into his arms, eyebrow raised.

"Is he? What kind of sky?" Ettore asked, turning to see Iemitsu by the door of the meeting room.

"A be-bene-benevo-" Lambo struggled with the wording.

"Benevolent?" Iemitsu supplied from the doorway. Lambo nodded happily

"Big Bro Tsu is going to be that kind of sky and he's going to be awesome! His flames are always so pretty and when someone hurts us, hurts me, he shows them why he's the Neo Primo Vongola Don!"

Silence met Lambo's exclamation.

Ettore smiled a smile that reminded Lambo of his big brother and subconsciously, the child's hand gripped the teen's dress shirt.

"Neo Primo?" Iemitsu sounded again from the doorway.

"Uh-huh." Lambo looked to Ettore, whose face was gentle and his grip secure on Lambo's form. He really did remind Lambo of Tsuna. Maybe it was Giotto's genes.

"Hey Lambo," Ettore spoke, turning Lambo's line of sight away from Iemitsu, whose face was beginning to darken. "How do you know all this?"

 _Shut up,_ a voice sounding like Lambo's older self snapped. _Stop talking, idiot. Shut up. Zip it. Lock it up and throw away the key. Don't say anything more._

Little Lambo looked up at Ettore and nuzzled into his chest because he didn't see the smelly, ugly older teen. No, he saw Tsuna in him and clung to that sliver of home.

"Because," Little Lambo said in a voice that sounded his age, "I'm from the future."

* * *

 _"Lambo." Ryohei's voice was hoarse and strangled, as if he was struggling to swallow a mouth full of food._

 _"Ryohei?" Lambo looked up from the sink, washing the dishes for Nana while she was at the store. The plate slipped from Lambo's hands. Ryohei's face was pale, his cheeks wet and his eyes red and puffy._

 _"...Ryohei…?" Lambo's voice was shaking._

 _"Lambo, listen to me," the forty year old spoke as he stepped up to the thirty year old. "There-there was...Tsuna...Tsuna was...they're…" Ryohei broke down, tears falling as he bit back his sobs. Lambo felt the world crumble around him. His vision tunneled as he heard his older brother grit out "they're dead" and his heart broke and he found himself on the floor, choking on his own spit and tears as he repeatedly pleaded that Ryohei was wrong._

 _They couldn't be dead. Not his strong big brothers. Not his strong Family._

* * *

"Where are we going?" Lambo asked as he was led by the hand by Ettore.

"The plane, silly," Ettore spoke before pausing, scooping up the tiny child to move faster. "We're going to Japan!"

"Japan!" Lambo's voice was loud and overflowing with glee. "Big Bro Tsu is in Japan! We're going to see him!" Lambo bounced in Ettore's arms.

"We are. But for business, Lambo." Ettore turned serious, looking down at Lambo, who paused in his joy.

"Business?" Lambo echoed.

"Business," a second, more deep toned voice purred out. Lambo's insides froze and he twisted his body in Ettore's arms to catch a glimpse of black and orange. A man stood further back from the two, dressed in a finely pressed black suit with orange accents. His fedora covered his face but Lambo didn't need to see his face to know who he was.

 _"...what do you mean, he's dead?" Lambo watched as Nana trembled in her seat. Iemitsu sat beside her, face grim and understanding. The couple, breaching seventy, looked so frail and fragile._

 _"He's dead," Lambo repeated, his fists gripping tightly to his pants. "Killed." Beside him, Ryohei and Reborn were stiff like statues. Reborn's hand rest heavily on Lambo's shoulder, acting as an anchor for Lambo to trudge through._

 _"He's dead," Lambo whispered because it wouldn't stick. It couldn't process._

 _He couldn't be dead. He couldn't._

 _"He's dead."_

"Reborn," Lambo spoke, reaching hands out for the man. Man. He wasn't a baby. His Big Bro had made sure that they wouldn't have to suffer.

His Big Bro had suffered in his place.

"What, little cow?" Reborn asked, eyebrow raised as he watched the child wiggle in Ettore's arms.

"Reborn. Meanie-Reborn!" Lambo snapped. He faintly remembered a very distant memory of him trying to kill this man. Why had he wanted to kill this man? This man - this man was his family.

"Say that again, you little brat, and I'll kick you to Japan instead of flying there," Reborn replied cooly, plucking Lambo out of Ettore's surprised arms.

"Reborn, what are you doing here?" Ettore spoke as he looked ahead for his father.

"Business. Nono asked a favor of me," Reborn spoke, cradling the child in his arms. Lambo clung to him like it was the most normal thing to do and Ettore tried VERY VERY hard not to look at the Number One Hitman holding a tiny child in his arms as if he were used to it.

"Reborn, do you remember me?" Lambo asked, reaching a hand up to pat at Reborn's cheek. Reborn stared down at him for a moment before a feral smirk tugged on his lips.

"What are you talking about? Remembering?" Reborn spoke, pulling at Lambo's cheek. Lambo puffed his cheeks out, furrowing his eyebrows.

 _His_ Reborn, when he had gotten back to his adult form, had acted like a fatherly figure to Lambo and when Lambo was twenty, had taken him under his wing as Reborn's apprentice. Tsuna had no say in the matter (not that he would) and Lambo had grown to see the Arcobaleno as his second most important person. Tsuna would always be his first.

Something deep in Lambo mourned at the loss of his closest person and Lambo looked down at Reborn's chest, tightening his grip on the man's suit.

"Nothing," Lambo whispered and it echoed like a chime, overlapping with "He's Dead" and Lambo scrunched his face up, trying to keep his throat from swelling. "Nothing at all."

"Lambo, Reborn, we're boarding! Come on!" Ettore called further ahead of them.

"Let's go, stupid cow. We've got an idiot to train," Reborn spoke and walked forward, holding Lambo close.

* * *

 _Run run run run run run runrununrunrunrunrunrnRUN-!_

 _Reborn was dead. Reborn was DEAD, How who why how how how impossible no no no no no no_

 _"Found ya!" A bullet pierced his calf and he went down hard, screaming in frustration, pain, denial. Dead dead dead they were all dead he was left no no no Reborn Tsu-nii SOMEONE!_

 _"Aw," a female cooed, "not fair Brother. You made our game of chase end so soon! AH! Look at him, sobbing like a pathetic toddler. Ahahaha!" The laughter stung his eardrums. Lambo curled into himself, sobbing out for his fallen family. He heard the gun cock and he knew no more._


	7. Ryohei EXTREME NO

The morning the Sasagawa house didn't wake up to Ryohei's yell of 'EXTREME MORNING!' was the day they knew something was wrong. Little Kyoko, at the tender age of six, peeked into her big brother's room and her heart stopped.

Ryohei was sitting up, staring at his hands while tears silently cascaded down his cheeks. His eyes were empty and his face was set in a grim frown. He looked far too old to be eight, Kyoko's brain supplied. Did he have a nightmare?

"Onii-chan?" Kyoko called and Ryohei jerked his head to the side, staring directly at her.

"Kyo-Kyoko! EXTREME good morning!" Ryohei sniffled, wiping at his wet face.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Kyoko asked as she padded into the room, crawling onto his bed. Ryohei pulled her onto his lap and hugged her, burying his nose into her hair.

"Yeah," Ryohei croaked, voice the softest she had ever heard it, "yeah I did."

* * *

"Please!" Kyoko didn't know whether to be flattered or alarmed that Ryohei was on his knees in front of her. "Please let me train!"

"Onii-chan!" Kyoko huffed. "Fighting bears isn't safe! It's dangerous!" The eight year old girl could only cross her arms stubbornly as her ten year old brother only begged louder, as if that'd change her mind.

"Kyoko!" There was a tinge of desperation in his voice and Kyoko's arms faltered from their defensive posture. " _Please_! I have to get stronger, Kyoko! I have to be able to protect my Family! I need to be able to protect you! To protect-" Ryohei bit back his words, his eyes squinting as he tried to stop the tears from forming.

" _Please."_ Ryohei's head was bent down as he sat up, leaning on his haunches. "Please." He sounded so broken, so defeated. Kyoko fell to her knees and took Ryohei's face in her hands.

"Onii-chan, is it really important?" Kyoko whispered, her own eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the child who wasn't her brother - hadn't been for two years now.

"Yes," Ryohei's hands overlapped with hers.

"Then I give you permission to do whatever you think will help you get stronger. But please," Kyoko sniffled, "don't hurt yourself too much."

This boy wasn't her brother, not anymore, not since that nightmare that had broken his spirits and what was left was a shallow imitation trying to redeem itself in the world's eyes. Kyoko seemed to know this, the morning she came upon him crying, and so she'd help him redeem himself.

He was a shining sun, after all. Not a eclipsed one.

* * *

"Kyoko," twelve year old Ryohei spoke one day in a very confused tone, eyebrows furrow in deep thought. "Are Yamamoto and Sawada friends?"

Kyoko perked up, looking from the TV to her older brother.

"Uh-huh!" Ten year old Kyoko chirped. "Yamamoto-kun just went up to Sawada-kun at lunch yesterday and told him they were friends! The other kids tried talking Yamamoto-kun out of it, calling Sawada-kun 'Dame-Tsuna' but then Yamamoto-kun told everyone that 'all he needed was Tsuna' and shut everyone up! They walk to school together and have lunch together and Hana-chan says that they are being gross and-!" Kyoko blinked when Ryohei burst into hearty laughter, causing their mom and dad to look at them as Ryohei bent at the waist, gasping for breath.

"He's so sly!" Ryohei barked out, tears beginning to slide down his cheeks. He quickly excused himself and Kyoko could hear the beginnings of sobs blend with his chuckles.

* * *

Ryohei was angry.

BAM. BAM. SMACK. THUD. THUD.

Ryohei was livid.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Ryohei punched the sand-bag clean off the chain and launched it through the wooden wall of the boxing club's room.

"Break school property and I'll bite you to death," Kyouya's voice sounded from the new hole in the wall.

"Sawada was attacked? By Vongola?" Ryohei spat, his body seeming to shimmer with a layer of sun flames blanketing over his flesh.

"Yes. The Rain took care of the assassin. In this world, there is a older Sawada. We believe it was a inheritance issue that caused the attack," Kyouya spoke as he flicked a bit of dust off his shoulder.

"He's okay though, right?" Ryohei asked as he jumped through the wall and scooped up what was left of the sand-bag.

"He's getting out of the hospital by the end of the week, Rain told me. The Storm is coming next week."

"Octopus-head is? How'd ya know?" Ryohei wiped at the sweat forming at his brow.

"The landlord of his apartment building was notified of his upcoming arrival. Of course, I have been notified as well by her as the new residence."

The Hibari Family was informed of everyone coming and going from Namimori, after all.

"Ah." Ryoehi stared down at the torn sand-bag. "Sawada...Tsuna doesn't remember, does he?" Ryohei asked.

"No, the Herbivore doesn't remember." Kyouya sounded strangely begrudging to admit that. Like the rest of the Guardians, Kyouya had gained a soft spot for their boss (not that he'd ever admit it).

"Thanks Hibari," Ryohei spoke and Kyouya just grunted, turning and leaving the boxer alone with his thoughts.

* * *

 _"Lambo, I'm going to go back to Italy to see what's going on, okay?" Ryohei said, looking from Reborn to Lambo. Lambo just shrugged and Ryohei bit back the urge to yell at the man. He wasn't the only one who had lost their Family. He wasn't the only one suffering. But he kept quiet and left, taking the first plan from Japan to Italy._

 _He never made it to Italy, sadly. No. One of the rival Famiglia, the Procione Famiglia, seemed to have caught wind of Ryohei's return and shot the airplane out of the sky._

 _Everyone died on impact._

 _Ryohei's last thoughts were nothing but curses towards the Scavenger Famiglias._


	8. Blank

It hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt they're dead dead dead dead deaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeaddeadDEAD

Blood gone failed he failed he failed

Dead

Pain

Gone

Failed

Failed

Failed

Hurt hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts

"Oh no, he's broken."

"It'd be cruel to do that to him like this."

"Let's just not give him the memories. He deserves better."

"You owe him that much, at least."

"Enjoy your new life! I hope this one has a happy ending!"


End file.
